National-level archer Gohela Boro fell mysteriously ill last year. She was treated in Assam, with her treatment funded by individual contributions. &nbsp;

But a campaign by WION has finally got the sports ministry to help fund her treatment, and she is now being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.&nbsp;

There has also been some clarity on the condition ailing her.&nbsp;

 
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WION met with&nbsp;Gohela&#39;s family at AIIMS on Sunday.

Smiling and happy to receive visitors in her hospital room, Gohela said, &ldquo;I feel better now. Before getting admitted here I was in a lot of pain. Past one year I have had malaria and typhoid several times -- which led to constant pain in the joints. Doctors say that I have gangrene which has affected my hands and legs. Doctors have removed the affected areas -- three toes -- on my right foot.&rdquo;

According to the doctors at AIIMS, &ldquo;Gohela is suffering from a condition in which blood supply to some parts of her body suddenly stops. It results in parts of her body drying up -- leading to severe pain. She is suffering from gangrene that has affected fingers of both hands and legs.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Gohela has not been able to walk for months now because of the gangrene. Doctors have surgically removed three toes of her right foot and are now debating whether they should also amputate the affected fingers on her right hand since she is unable to use it.&nbsp;

Despite the prognosis, Gohela&#39;s family looks more relieved than ever.

Her parents are back home in Assam taking care of Gohela&rsquo;s other siblings but Gohela&#39;s younger sister Dane and her fiance Sansuma Basumataray are at AIIMS looking after her.

&ldquo;I am very happy now as didi (elder sister) is getting proper treatment. Didi has been admitted for 10 days now and she has shown improvement. We paid for medicines for first three days only, after which the sports ministry intervened and arranged for our medicines to be free of cost,&rdquo; said Dane.&nbsp;

Gohela comes from a small village called New Amguri in Kokrajhar in Assam.&nbsp;

Owing to &ldquo;no good hospitals, comparable to AIIMS or Apollo in Assam&rdquo;, said Dane, Gohela was treated at a hospital in Guwahati last year when her health deteriorated. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We tried to stay strong. People from Bodoland and an MLA from Assam gave us some money during the initial phase. When we got Rs 1,50,000, we took her to a hospital in Guwahati but when she got sick again in January this year, we couldn&rsquo;t take her to a hospital,&rdquo; said Dane.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Doctors at the Guwahati hospital advised Gohela to be taken to AIIMS in Delhi or Apollo in Chennai for intensive care and treatment&rdquo; but the family of ten did not have the money for it, until now.&nbsp;

The family never lost hope though.&nbsp;

Said Sansuma, &ldquo;After January, when we had exhausted all our funds, I even thought of selling my land to fund her medical treatment. But it didn&rsquo;t go through. We then took another route and with the help of Assam government sport bodies, we wrote letters of help. It attracted media attention.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Discovery Club, an NGO, also helped us in this struggle. Media has contributed a lot in making people notice Gohela and empathise with her story. Today, sports ministry is funding her entire treatment.&rdquo;

Sansuma met Gohela in 2006 while they were in school. They exchanged rings in February 2015 with the promise to marry in three years.

&ldquo;Only two years are left now, I can&rsquo;t wait to get married to Gohela. I left my studies because I wanted to take care of her. I just hope to see her stand on her feet again and play,&rdquo;&nbsp;he added. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Gohela dreams of resuming her archery. &ldquo;Doctors are saying that I will be fine but it will take time. I can&#39;t walk at the moment but I hope I will be able to. I want to train like before and practise archery again but I&#39;m scared. I&#39;ll try, I know it will be difficult,&quot;&nbsp;she said.&nbsp;

Doctors at AIIMS have asked for a &ldquo;couple of days to get clarity on Gohela&rsquo;s condition&rdquo;.

Her&nbsp;family meanwhile, while grateful for the support from the ministry, is also skeptical about future.

&ldquo;We don&#39;t know who will provide for Gohela once she is discharged from here and what if the illness comes back once we return to Assam?&rdquo; asks Dane.&nbsp;

(WION)

Gohela, who is being treated at Delhi's AIIMS, has had three toes on her right foot amputated

National-level archer Gohela Boro fell mysteriously ill last year. She was treated in Assam, with her treatment funded by individual contributions. But a campaign by WION has finally got the sports ministry to help fund her treatment, and she is now being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. There has also been some clarity on the condition ailing her. WION met with Gohela's family at AIIMS on Sunday. Smiling and happy to receive visitors in her hospital room, Gohela said, “I feel better now. Before getting admitted here I was in a lot of pain. Past one year I have had malaria and typhoid several times -- which led to constant pain in the joints. Doctors say that I have gangrene which has affected my hands and legs. Doctors have removed the affected areas -- three toes -- on my right foot.” According to the doctors at AIIMS, “Gohela is suffering from a condition in which blood supply to some parts of her body suddenly stops. It results in parts of her body drying up -- leading to severe pain. She is suffering from gangrene that has affected fingers of both hands and legs.” Gohela has not been able to walk for months now because of the gangrene. Doctors have surgically removed three toes of her right foot and are now debating whether they should also amputate the affected fingers on her right hand since she is unable to use it. Despite the prognosis, Gohela's family looks more relieved than ever. Her parents are back home in Assam taking care of Gohela’s other siblings but Gohela's younger sister Dane and her fiance Sansuma Basumataray are at AIIMS looking after her. “I am very happy now as didi (elder sister) is getting proper treatment. Didi has been admitted for 10 days now and she has shown improvement. We paid for medicines for first three days only, after which the sports ministry intervened and arranged for our medicines to be free of cost,” said Dane. Gohela comes from a small village called New Amguri in Kokrajhar in Assam. Owing to “no good hospitals, comparable to AIIMS or Apollo in Assam”, said Dane, Gohela was treated at a hospital in Guwahati last year when her health deteriorated. “We tried to stay strong. People from Bodoland and an MLA from Assam gave us some money during the initial phase. When we got Rs 1,50,000, we took her to a hospital in Guwahati but when she got sick again in January this year, we couldn’t take her to a hospital,” said Dane. “Doctors at the Guwahati hospital advised Gohela to be taken to AIIMS in Delhi or Apollo in Chennai for intensive care and treatment” but the family of ten did not have the money for it, until now. The family never lost hope though. Said Sansuma, “After January, when we had exhausted all our funds, I even thought of selling my land to fund her medical treatment. But it didn’t go through. We then took another route and with the help of Assam government sport bodies, we wrote letters of help. It attracted media attention. “Discovery Club, an NGO, also helped us in this struggle. Media has contributed a lot in making people notice Gohela and empathise with her story. Today, sports ministry is funding her entire treatment.” Sansuma met Gohela in 2006 while they were in school. They exchanged rings in February 2015 with the promise to marry in three years. “Only two years are left now, I can’t wait to get married to Gohela. I left my studies because I wanted to take care of her. I just hope to see her stand on her feet again and play,” he added. Gohela dreams of resuming her archery. “Doctors are saying that I will be fine but it will take time. I can't walk at the moment but I hope I will be able to. I want to train like before and practise archery again but I'm scared. I'll try, I know it will be difficult," she said. Doctors at AIIMS have asked for a “couple of days to get clarity on Gohela’s condition”. Her family meanwhile, while grateful for the support from the ministry, is also skeptical about future. “We don't know who will provide for Gohela once she is discharged from here and what if the illness comes back once we return to Assam?” asks Dane. (WION)

WION Impact: Govt begins to fund national-level archer Gohela Boro's medical treatment

India&#39;s highest court chastised the federal government for ineffective implementation of its demonetisation policy.

The Supreme Court asked the government how the rich were getting caught with large amounts of money while the ordinary people were struggling to get even Rs 24,000.

&ldquo;People are not getting even ?24,000 per week. Then how come some people have got&nbsp;lakhs&nbsp;of new currency? It seems that there are two kinds of people, one who have plenty of new notes and others who have nothing,&rdquo; the Chief Justice of India TS&nbsp;Thakur asked AG Rohatgi, the Attorney General for India.

The apex court said the banks should not deny minimum weekly withdrawal of Rs 24,000 per week per account and asked to reduce the citizens&#39; inconvenience due to demonetisation.

The apex court on December 9 also asked the government if the decision made by it was constitutional.

Ever since the Narendra Modi administration announced the replacement of old currency notes on November 8, people have been allowed to withdraw not more than Rs 24,000 per week.

Rohatgi alleged that some bank managers were involved in illegal activities but the government was acting against the culprits. He assured that the government was working around-the-clock to smoothen the creases and blamed corrupt bank managers for putting a spanner in the works.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Supreme Court asked why ordinary citizens were struggling to get money from banks while it was the opposite for the rich

India's highest court chastised the federal government for ineffective implementation of its demonetisation policy. The Supreme Court asked the government how the rich were getting caught with large amounts of money while the ordinary people were struggling to get even Rs 24,000. “People are not getting even ?24,000 per week. Then how come some people have got lakhs of new currency? It seems that there are two kinds of people, one who have plenty of new notes and others who have nothing,” the Chief Justice of India TS Thakur asked AG Rohatgi, the Attorney General for India. The apex court said the banks should not deny minimum weekly withdrawal of Rs 24,000 per week per account and asked to reduce the citizens' inconvenience due to demonetisation. The apex court on December 9 also asked the government if the decision made by it was constitutional. Ever since the Narendra Modi administration announced the replacement of old currency notes on November 8, people have been allowed to withdraw not more than Rs 24,000 per week. Rohatgi alleged that some bank managers were involved in illegal activities but the government was acting against the culprits. He assured that the government was working around-the-clock to smoothen the creases and blamed corrupt bank managers for putting a spanner in the works. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Top court raps Indian govt for demonetisation, remonetisation chaos

A government employee was killed during a&nbsp;counter-insurgency operation launched overnight in south Kashmir&#39;s Kulgam district, officials said today.

Security forces including the army launched a counter-insurgency operation in the Chancer area of Kulgam following information about the presence of ultras in the area, police officials said.

The officials said an employee of the fisheries department, Assadullah Kumar, was killed in firing that broke out minutes after the security forces cordoned off the area.

No militants were found. An army official said the operation was called off this morning.

He added the suspected militants might have escaped taking advantage of the darkness.

He was tight-lipped about Assadullah&#39;s death.

Meanwhile, local residents staged a protest against the Assadullah&#39;s killing and blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Vessu.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Assadullah Kumar was an employee of the fisheries department. Officials were tight-lipped about his death.

A government employee was killed during a counter-insurgency operation launched overnight in south Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said today. Security forces including the army launched a counter-insurgency operation in the Chancer area of Kulgam following information about the presence of ultras in the area, police officials said. The officials said an employee of the fisheries department, Assadullah Kumar, was killed in firing that broke out minutes after the security forces cordoned off the area. No militants were found. An army official said the operation was called off this morning. He added the suspected militants might have escaped taking advantage of the darkness. He was tight-lipped about Assadullah's death. Meanwhile, local residents staged a protest against the Assadullah's killing and blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Vessu. (PTI)

Kashmir: Govt employee killed in counter-insurgency operation

The collection of road toll on national highways across India will resume from midnight, news agency ANI reported.

The government has taken several steps to ensure smooth movement of traffic.

Toll plazas have been equipped with swipe machines for people to make payments through their credit or debit cards. Prepaid instruments and electronic wallets can also be used for making payments.

FASTags introduced by the the ministry of road transport and highways are being encouraged by the government. These FASTags can be stuck on to your car and toll payments can be made directly from the prepaid account linked to it.

Commuters are being ugred to carry adequate change with them today to avoid delays. The old 500 rupee notes will be accepted till the midnight of December 15, but only for purchasing FASTags and making toll payments of more than 200 rupees.

(WION with inputs from ANI)

Following demonetisation, the government had waived off toll over these highways across the country for over three weeks

The collection of road toll on national highways across India will resume from midnight, news agency ANI reported. The government has taken several steps to ensure smooth movement of traffic. Toll plazas have been equipped with swipe machines for people to make payments through their credit or debit cards. Prepaid instruments and electronic wallets can also be used for making payments. FASTags introduced by the the ministry of road transport and highways are being encouraged by the government. These FASTags can be stuck on to your car and toll payments can be made directly from the prepaid account linked to it. Commuters are being ugred to carry adequate change with them today to avoid delays. The old 500 rupee notes will be accepted till the midnight of December 15, but only for purchasing FASTags and making toll payments of more than 200 rupees. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Toll collection to resume across national highways in India

Nearly 200 terrorists are now active in Jammu and Kashmir, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

&quot;As per available inputs, nearly 200 terrorists are active in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,&quot; minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir said today.

As per available inputs, 105 terrorists have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir after crossing the Line of Control till September this year, he added.

There were 2,069 incidents of law and order in Kashmir Valley in last two years, of which 627 incidents took place in Baramulla, 507 in Srinagar, 302 in Pulwama and 261 in Anantnag.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

105 terrorists have infiltrated into Jammu & Kashmir after crossing the Line of Control till September this year

Nearly 200 terrorists are now active in Jammu and Kashmir, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. "As per available inputs, nearly 200 terrorists are active in the state of Jammu and Kashmir," minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir said today. As per available inputs, 105 terrorists have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir after crossing the Line of Control till September this year, he added. There were 2,069 incidents of law and order in Kashmir Valley in last two years, of which 627 incidents took place in Baramulla, 507 in Srinagar, 302 in Pulwama and 261 in Anantnag. (WION with inputs from PTI)

200 terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir: Indian Government

India&#39;s law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday accused the opposition parties of creating unwarranted ruckus in the Parliament and alleged that those opposing the demonetisation drive did not have anything concrete against the 
move.

People avoiding the debate on demonetisation, are running away from truth, he said. &quot;We expect the opposition to participate in the debate. But I would like to ask that we did have a debate on the 16th, it went on for the whole day. But it was stalled. Why?&quot; Prasad questioned.

&quot;I would like to assert that they don&#39;t have any statement to make, they don&#39;t have answers and that is why they are running away from a debate,&quot; he added.

The Lok Sabha earlier today witnessed chaos as a united opposition stuck to its demand to discuss the demonetisation issue under rules entailing voting.

The speaker adjourned the house till noon and then for the day. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Upper House too with the opposition demanding the Prime Minister&#39;s presence in the house and payment of compensation to those who died of trauma while queuing up before banks and ATMs following demonetisation of high value currency notes, ANI reported.

The house was adjourned for the day too.

Earlier today, Indian Prime Minister Modi asserted that the demonetisation of high value currency is just a beginning of his government&#39;s deep and continuous struggle against black money. The decision is in the interest of poor and middle class, he said.

Congress on Tuesday alleged that the government&#39;s demonetisation drive has unleashed financial anarchy and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tender an apology to the nation.

&quot;What is happening in India is a continual illegality because the money which is there in the bank accounts of the people is their own money and nobody neither the Prime Minister nor the Finance Minister or the Reserve Bank of India have any legal power or authority to deny Indian citizens access to their own bank accounts,&quot; Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Both houses of the Parliament today witnessed ruckus over the demonetisation debate, leading to both houses being adjourned for the day

India's law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday accused the opposition parties of creating unwarranted ruckus in the Parliament and alleged that those opposing the demonetisation drive did not have anything concrete against the move. People avoiding the debate on demonetisation, are running away from truth, he said. "We expect the opposition to participate in the debate. But I would like to ask that we did have a debate on the 16th, it went on for the whole day. But it was stalled. Why?" Prasad questioned. "I would like to assert that they don't have any statement to make, they don't have answers and that is why they are running away from a debate," he added. The Lok Sabha earlier today witnessed chaos as a united opposition stuck to its demand to discuss the demonetisation issue under rules entailing voting. The speaker adjourned the house till noon and then for the day. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Upper House too with the opposition demanding the Prime Minister's presence in the house and payment of compensation to those who died of trauma while queuing up before banks and ATMs following demonetisation of high value currency notes, ANI reported. The house was adjourned for the day too. Earlier today, Indian Prime Minister Modi asserted that the demonetisation of high value currency is just a beginning of his government's deep and continuous struggle against black money. The decision is in the interest of poor and middle class, he said. Congress on Tuesday alleged that the government's demonetisation drive has unleashed financial anarchy and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tender an apology to the nation. "What is happening in India is a continual illegality because the money which is there in the bank accounts of the people is their own money and nobody neither the Prime Minister nor the Finance Minister or the Reserve Bank of India have any legal power or authority to deny Indian citizens access to their own bank accounts," Congress leader Anand Sharma said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Demonetisation: Those opposing move don't have concrete answers, says India's union minister

Pakistan has foiled Islamic State&#39;s plans to launch attacks in the country, its military establishment&nbsp;said. 
 
Pakistani authorities have so far arrested 309 extremists to nip terror attacks in the bud. 
 
&quot;They (the apprehended men) were involved in attacks on media and security personnel and were planning attacks on government, diplomatic and civilian targets,&quot;&nbsp;said&nbsp;Lieutenant-General Asim Bajwa, Pakistan&nbsp;military&#39;s top spokesperson.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They tried to make an ingress, and they failed, and they have been apprehended so far,&quot; he further said. 
 
Most of the arrested&nbsp;militants are Pakistani jihaidists who switched allegiances to the IS. There were a few foreign fighters&nbsp;including some from Afghanistan and Syria. 
 
Bajwa also said authorities have arrested a core group of 20 organisers. &quot;We have captured all of them, except for one who I am sure is not in Pakistan.&quot; 
 
The comments come a few days after a bomb explosion ripped through a Quetta hospital, killing 70. The attack was claimed by the IS, stoking fears that the West Asia-based jihadi&nbsp;militants were building up a presence in the country.&nbsp; 
 
A Pakistani Taliban splinter group also claimed responsibility for the attack. This prompted Bajwa to say IS&#39;s claims of perpetrating the bomb attack were false.&nbsp; 
 
Bajwa also said there were IS militants active in the Afghan provinces of&nbsp; Nangarhar, Khost and Kunar.&nbsp; 
 
The spokesman also responded to US secretary of state John Kerry&#39;s comment made in India that Pakistan was not doing enought to wipe out militants from their country. 
 
&quot;Terrorists&nbsp;of all organisations, including Haqqanis, including Afghan Taliban, have been killed and some apprehended ... so if you say that you know actions have not been taken or (are) not being taken, that is wrong,&quot; he said, referring to US concerns about the country being lenient towards certain jihadist groups. 
 
&quot;We have paid $106.9 billion (on) this war ... If anyone points a finger at Pakistan or casts an eye of suspicion on Pakistan, they need to know this cost,&quot; said Bajwa. 
 
(WION with added inputs from Reuters)

The country's military said over 300 Islamist militants, who were planning 'attacks on government and civilian targets', have been arrested

Pakistan has foiled Islamic State's plans to launch attacks in the country, its military establishment said. Pakistani authorities have so far arrested 309 extremists to nip terror attacks in the bud. "They (the apprehended men) were involved in attacks on media and security personnel and were planning attacks on government, diplomatic and civilian targets," said Lieutenant-General Asim Bajwa, Pakistan military's top spokesperson. "They tried to make an ingress, and they failed, and they have been apprehended so far," he further said. Most of the arrested militants are Pakistani jihaidists who switched allegiances to the IS. There were a few foreign fighters including some from Afghanistan and Syria. Bajwa also said authorities have arrested a core group of 20 organisers. "We have captured all of them, except for one who I am sure is not in Pakistan." The comments come a few days after a bomb explosion ripped through a Quetta hospital, killing 70. The attack was claimed by the IS, stoking fears that the West Asia-based jihadi militants were building up a presence in the country. A Pakistani Taliban splinter group also claimed responsibility for the attack. This prompted Bajwa to say IS's claims of perpetrating the bomb attack were false. Bajwa also said there were IS militants active in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Khost and Kunar. The spokesman also responded to US secretary of state John Kerry's comment made in India that Pakistan was not doing enought to wipe out militants from their country. "Terrorists of all organisations, including Haqqanis, including Afghan Taliban, have been killed and some apprehended ... so if you say that you know actions have not been taken or (are) not being taken, that is wrong," he said, referring to US concerns about the country being lenient towards certain jihadist groups. "We have paid $106.9 billion (on) this war ... If anyone points a finger at Pakistan or casts an eye of suspicion on Pakistan, they need to know this cost," said Bajwa. (WION with added inputs from Reuters)

Pakistan has thwarted IS attacks in country: Military

The sprawling President&#39;s Estate has been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulated pools of stagnant water -- with 52 notices slapped on Rashtrapati Bhavan by the New Delhi Municipal Council. 
 
The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan since January by NDMC after mosquito larvae were found at many places dotting the 320-acre estate. 
 
With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including on the President&#39;s Estate. 
 
&quot;We have issued 52 notices to various complexes and residential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formed teams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which then spotted mosquitogenic conditions,&quot; a senior NDMC official said. 
 
The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department. 
 
Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President&#39;s Estate after &quot;heavy&quot; mosquito-breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus. Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes. 
 
The NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding. 
 
Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served. 
 
Safdarjung hospital, prestigious Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings charged by the civic body over dengue breeding this season. 
 
The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season 
 
&nbsp;Among the buildings which have been issued notices by NDMC are prominent hospitals including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge Medical College and LHMC hospital. 
 
Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh have also been issued notices after the inspection team detected mosquitogenic conditions in their premises. 
 
&quot;We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans this season over dengue breeding. During the inspection, if the premises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they are issued notices,&quot; the official said. &quot;But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditions during the next inspection, the defaulters are issued challan,&quot; he added. 
 
According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August. The vector-borne disease has claimed two lives so far during this season. 
 
(PTI)

The notices were issued after mosquito larvae were found at a number of sites on the 320-acre estate

The sprawling President's Estate has been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulated pools of stagnant water -- with 52 notices slapped on Rashtrapati Bhavan by the New Delhi Municipal Council. The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan since January by NDMC after mosquito larvae were found at many places dotting the 320-acre estate. With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including on the President's Estate. "We have issued 52 notices to various complexes and residential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formed teams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which then spotted mosquitogenic conditions," a senior NDMC official said. The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department. Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President's Estate after "heavy" mosquito-breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus. Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes. The NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding. Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served. Safdarjung hospital, prestigious Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings charged by the civic body over dengue breeding this season. The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season Among the buildings which have been issued notices by NDMC are prominent hospitals including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge Medical College and LHMC hospital. Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh have also been issued notices after the inspection team detected mosquitogenic conditions in their premises. "We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans this season over dengue breeding. During the inspection, if the premises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they are issued notices," the official said. "But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditions during the next inspection, the defaulters are issued challan," he added. According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August. The vector-borne disease has claimed two lives so far during this season. (PTI)

India: President's Estate issued 52 notices over mosquito breeding

Germany appears to have drastically curtailed its open-door policy for migrants in 2016, turning away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015, official data showed on Tuesday. 
 
Around 117,500 migrants were admitted in the same period, compared to a record of more than one million migrants entering the country last year, mainly across the border from Austria. 
 
The bulk of the rejections happened at land entry points and Afghans, Syrians, and Iraqis made up the three largest groups of the total, the Interior Ministry data published at the request of the hard-left Die Linke party showed. 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel last month interrupted her summer break to defend her government&#39;s migration policy after two Islamist attacks by asylum seekers, saying that those fleeing conflicts and persecution have the right to asylum in Germany. 
 
More than 2,500 Afghans, 1,300 Syrians, and 1,000 Iraqis were declined entry at border crossings in the January-June period, the ministry said. Iranians, Moroccans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Gambians, Somalis and Algerians made up the rest of the top 10. 
 
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany dropped drastically this year as a result of border closures in the Balkans, an EU-Turkey deal to stop sea arrivals in Greece and tougher asylum rules in Germany. 
 
In July, 4,500 migrants arrived in Germany, less than half of the daily arrivals at the peak of the crisis in the fall of last year, German police said earlier this month, bringing the number of arrivals in the first seven months of the year to 122,000. 
 
Migrants who arrive in Germany are first registered at reception centres where they have to wait for months before they can officially file an asylum application, creating a huge backlog and putting a strain on civil servants. 
 
The influx has dented the popularity of Merkel&#39;s ruling conservatives and prompted the rise of an anti-immigration party. 
 
Turkey has threatened to suspend its migrants&#39; agreement with the European Union if there is no deal to grant visa-free travel to Turks. The number of migrants reaches Italy in boats from Libya has also been rising. 
 
(Reuters)

The country has turned away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015

Germany appears to have drastically curtailed its open-door policy for migrants in 2016, turning away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015, official data showed on Tuesday. Around 117,500 migrants were admitted in the same period, compared to a record of more than one million migrants entering the country last year, mainly across the border from Austria. The bulk of the rejections happened at land entry points and Afghans, Syrians, and Iraqis made up the three largest groups of the total, the Interior Ministry data published at the request of the hard-left Die Linke party showed. Chancellor Angela Merkel last month interrupted her summer break to defend her government's migration policy after two Islamist attacks by asylum seekers, saying that those fleeing conflicts and persecution have the right to asylum in Germany. More than 2,500 Afghans, 1,300 Syrians, and 1,000 Iraqis were declined entry at border crossings in the January-June period, the ministry said. Iranians, Moroccans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Gambians, Somalis and Algerians made up the rest of the top 10. The number of people seeking asylum in Germany dropped drastically this year as a result of border closures in the Balkans, an EU-Turkey deal to stop sea arrivals in Greece and tougher asylum rules in Germany. In July, 4,500 migrants arrived in Germany, less than half of the daily arrivals at the peak of the crisis in the fall of last year, German police said earlier this month, bringing the number of arrivals in the first seven months of the year to 122,000. Migrants who arrive in Germany are first registered at reception centres where they have to wait for months before they can officially file an asylum application, creating a huge backlog and putting a strain on civil servants. The influx has dented the popularity of Merkel's ruling conservatives and prompted the rise of an anti-immigration party. Turkey has threatened to suspend its migrants' agreement with the European Union if there is no deal to grant visa-free travel to Turks. The number of migrants reaches Italy in boats from Libya has also been rising. (Reuters)

Germany has curbed open-door policy for migrants, government data reveals

Nepal&#39;s new Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda named a minority leader to the key position of home minister in his first appointments on Thursday, seeking reconciliation after months of protests by southern plainsfolk over a new constitution. 
 
Prachanda,whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, still uses his wartime pseudonym, which means &quot;fierce&quot;. He has promised to keep his cabinet small, after predecessor K P Oli was criticised for appointing a 32-member coalition with six deputy prime ministers. 
 
After the oath-taking ceremony in capital Kathmandu, Prachanda administered the oath of office to five ministers, including three from his political party and two from the Nepali Congress. 
 
The sixty-one-year-old former rebel commander has vowed to tackle the grievances of the Madhesi minority that demands a greater say in central government by amending the constitution adopted last September. 
 
The Madhesis, who have close cultural and family ties with neighbouring India, have staged protests against the charter, saying it marginalised them by dividing their southern homeland into several states. 
 
Violence, blamed by many Madhesis on the use of excessive police force, claimed more than 50 lives in protests that petered out in February. 
 
Prachanda appointed Bimalendra Nidhi of the centrist Nepali Congress, the biggest coalition party, as deputy prime minister in charge of the home ministry, officials said. 
 
Among those appointed to the cabinet was Krishna Bahadur Mahara from Prachanda&#39;s Maoist party, who will also be a deputy prime minister in charge of the finance ministry. 
 
(Reuters)

He has vowed to tackle the grievances of the Madhesis who demand a greater say in central government?

Nepal's new Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda named a minority leader to the key position of home minister in his first appointments on Thursday, seeking reconciliation after months of protests by southern plainsfolk over a new constitution. Prachanda,whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, still uses his wartime pseudonym, which means "fierce". He has promised to keep his cabinet small, after predecessor K P Oli was criticised for appointing a 32-member coalition with six deputy prime ministers. After the oath-taking ceremony in capital Kathmandu, Prachanda administered the oath of office to five ministers, including three from his political party and two from the Nepali Congress. The sixty-one-year-old former rebel commander has vowed to tackle the grievances of the Madhesi minority that demands a greater say in central government by amending the constitution adopted last September. The Madhesis, who have close cultural and family ties with neighbouring India, have staged protests against the charter, saying it marginalised them by dividing their southern homeland into several states. Violence, blamed by many Madhesis on the use of excessive police force, claimed more than 50 lives in protests that petered out in February. Prachanda appointed Bimalendra Nidhi of the centrist Nepali Congress, the biggest coalition party, as deputy prime minister in charge of the home ministry, officials said. Among those appointed to the cabinet was Krishna Bahadur Mahara from Prachanda's Maoist party, who will also be a deputy prime minister in charge of the finance ministry. (Reuters)

Nepal's new Prime Minister names core team, seeks reconciliation

The Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 on Thursday and said it will&nbsp;buy 60 billion pounds of government debt to ease the blow from Britain&#39;s June 23 vote to leave the European Union.

The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year,&nbsp;and lowered its main lending rate to a record-low 0.25 per cent from 0.5 per cent, in line with market expectations.

But it also launched two new schemes, one to buy 10 billion pounds of high-grade corporate bonds and another - potentially worth up to 100 billion pounds - to ensure banks keep lending even after the cut in interest rates.

Most MPC members also expected to cut Bank Rate again this year to a rate &quot;close to, but a little above zero&quot;, if the economy performed as poorly as forecast

&quot;Following the United Kingdom&#39;s vote to leave the European Union, the exchange rate has fallen and the outlook for growth in the short to medium term has weakened markedly,&quot; the central bank said in its quarterly Inflation Report.

Policymakers were not completely united on how to respond. The cut in Bank Rate and the measure intended to ensure banks passed it on to consumers, known as the Term Funding Scheme (TFS), gained unanimous support.

But three policymakers, Kristin Forbes, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale, opposed raising the target for quantitative easing government bond purchases to 435 billion pounds from the 375 billion total reached in late 2012.

Forbes also opposed the purchases of corporate debt - something the BoE did briefly after the financial crisis, but more to aid market functioning than to boost growth.

Many economists had expected Forbes to oppose a rate cut after she said last month that the central bank should not panic and instead wait for more data on the scale of Britain&#39;s economic slowdown.

While many business surveys show Britain&#39;s economy has slowed sharply and may even be entering recession, it is too soon for official data on how the EU vote is affecting output.

The BoE left its forecast for growth this year steady at 2.0 per cent, as the economy expanded faster in the first half of 2016 than it had expected in May.

But 2017 brings a sharp downgrade to growth of just 0.8 per cent from a previous estimate of 2.3 per cent, the biggest downgrade in growth from one Inflation Report to the next, exceeding what was seen in the financial crisis. The growth outlook for 2018 was cut to 1.8 per cent.

The BoE also revised up its inflation forecasts sharply, due to the big fall in sterling since the financial crisis, predicting it will hit 2.4 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The MPC said the costs of trying to bring it back to its 2 per cent target in the immediate future would exceed the benefit.

The Monetary Policy Committee launched the Term Funding Scheme to make sure that the lower levels of interest rates now set by the Bank of England are reflected in the costs commercial banks charge households and companies to borrow funds.

The Bank said it does not expect the scheme to lead to significantly faster aggregate loan growth, but to offset any hit to lending from a cut in official interest rates closer to zero.

Eligible institutions will be able to borrow four-year central bank reserves for an initial period of 18 months at rates close to the Bank Rate.

The lowest cost of funding, the 0.25 per cent Bank Rate, will be for banks that maintain or expand net lending to the economy and the BoE will charge a penalty rate if banks reduce net lending.

The MPC said it could adjust the terms and length of the scheme, which is funded by central bank reserves, and that the value of lending will be determined by usage of the scheme and could reach around 100 billion pounds.

New finance minister Philip Hammond, who replaced George Osborne last month, authorised the bond purchases and the TFS.

&quot;Alongside the actions the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence,&quot; Hammond said in a letter to the central bank.

&quot;The government will set out its fiscal plans at the Autumn Statement in the normal way.&quot; released alongside its quarterly economic forecasts.

(Reuters)

The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year

The Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 on Thursday and said it will buy 60 billion pounds of government debt to ease the blow from Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union. The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year, and lowered its main lending rate to a record-low 0.25 per cent from 0.5 per cent, in line with market expectations. But it also launched two new schemes, one to buy 10 billion pounds of high-grade corporate bonds and another - potentially worth up to 100 billion pounds - to ensure banks keep lending even after the cut in interest rates. Most MPC members also expected to cut Bank Rate again this year to a rate "close to, but a little above zero", if the economy performed as poorly as forecast "Following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, the exchange rate has fallen and the outlook for growth in the short to medium term has weakened markedly," the central bank said in its quarterly Inflation Report. Policymakers were not completely united on how to respond. The cut in Bank Rate and the measure intended to ensure banks passed it on to consumers, known as the Term Funding Scheme (TFS), gained unanimous support. But three policymakers, Kristin Forbes, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale, opposed raising the target for quantitative easing government bond purchases to 435 billion pounds from the 375 billion total reached in late 2012. Forbes also opposed the purchases of corporate debt - something the BoE did briefly after the financial crisis, but more to aid market functioning than to boost growth. Many economists had expected Forbes to oppose a rate cut after she said last month that the central bank should not panic and instead wait for more data on the scale of Britain's economic slowdown. While many business surveys show Britain's economy has slowed sharply and may even be entering recession, it is too soon for official data on how the EU vote is affecting output. The BoE left its forecast for growth this year steady at 2.0 per cent, as the economy expanded faster in the first half of 2016 than it had expected in May. But 2017 brings a sharp downgrade to growth of just 0.8 per cent from a previous estimate of 2.3 per cent, the biggest downgrade in growth from one Inflation Report to the next, exceeding what was seen in the financial crisis. The growth outlook for 2018 was cut to 1.8 per cent. The BoE also revised up its inflation forecasts sharply, due to the big fall in sterling since the financial crisis, predicting it will hit 2.4 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The MPC said the costs of trying to bring it back to its 2 per cent target in the immediate future would exceed the benefit. The Monetary Policy Committee launched the Term Funding Scheme to make sure that the lower levels of interest rates now set by the Bank of England are reflected in the costs commercial banks charge households and companies to borrow funds. The Bank said it does not expect the scheme to lead to significantly faster aggregate loan growth, but to offset any hit to lending from a cut in official interest rates closer to zero. Eligible institutions will be able to borrow four-year central bank reserves for an initial period of 18 months at rates close to the Bank Rate. The lowest cost of funding, the 0.25 per cent Bank Rate, will be for banks that maintain or expand net lending to the economy and the BoE will charge a penalty rate if banks reduce net lending. The MPC said it could adjust the terms and length of the scheme, which is funded by central bank reserves, and that the value of lending will be determined by usage of the scheme and could reach around 100 billion pounds. New finance minister Philip Hammond, who replaced George Osborne last month, authorised the bond purchases and the TFS. "Alongside the actions the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence," Hammond said in a letter to the central bank. "The government will set out its fiscal plans at the Autumn Statement in the normal way." released alongside its quarterly economic forecasts. (Reuters)

Bank of England cuts rates for first time since 2009, restarts bond purchases

Spain may be forced to hold a third round of elections, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned on Tuesday after his Socialist rival refused to back his efforts to form a government. 
 
Spain has been without a fully functioning government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls, leaving it in political limbo in a sensitive economic and political period. But even as parties reiterate the crucial need for a stable government after repeat elections in June, none appear ready as yet to overcome their differences and seal a coalition deal, including Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez. 
 
&quot;If Mr Sanchez continues to say no, we will go to repeat elections,&quot; Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party (PP) came first in June polls and who has therefore been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, told reporters. &quot;A country that holds three elections in a year, or one in which its political leaders are incapable of agreeing, will not see its reputation improve,&quot; he said, adding it would be an &quot;absurdity&quot;. 
 
Spain is currently ruled by a caretaker conservative government with limited room for manoeuvre just as it needs to take urgent steps to reduce its deficit, establish a budget for the coming year and address a growing separatist movement in the Catalonia region. 
 
The country&#39;s political paralysis started after elections on December 20 failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority, as upstart groupings Ciudadanos and Podemos shook up Spain&#39;s long-established two-party system. 
 
Fed up with years of crisis-sparked austerity and repeated corruption scandals, millions of Spaniards tasked the two upstarts to revitalise the country. But efforts to forge a coalition were unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result. 
 
Rajoy&#39;s PP, in power since 2011, won the June 26 vote but fell short of an absolute majority, winning 137 seats out of 350. He has since been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, which he will have to push through a parliamentary vote of confidence. 
 
In order to do so, Rajoy will need an absolute majority in the vote. If he fails, a second vote will be held in which he would only need a simple majority. 
 
But Sanchez, whose Socialist party came second in June elections and whose 85 seats would give any Rajoy-led government proposal a significant boost in a parliamentary vote refuses to back him. &quot;We are not going to back something we want to change... the left will not back the right,&quot; Sanchez told reporters after meeting the acting prime minister. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
However, he appeared to leave the door open for the possibility that the Socialists would abstain in a vote of confidence, saying that the party&#39;s leadership committee would have the ultimate say in whether the grouping changes its posture or not. 
 
Several high-ranking members of the Socialist party, including former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, have pushed for an abstention to let a minority government led by Rajoy through, and thus end the political paralysis. And a high-ranking Socialist party source, who refuses to be named, has said an abstention in the second parliamentary vote is the most likely scenario. 
 
Rajoy is also due to meet Albert Rivera, the chief of centre-right upstart Ciudadanos, on Wednesday as his search for support continues.&nbsp;Rivera has said his party would be willing to abstain in the vote of confidence, but with just 32 seats, that would not be enough to push Rajoy&#39;s government proposal through. 
 
(AFP)

The country has been without a fully functional government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls

Spain may be forced to hold a third round of elections, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned on Tuesday after his Socialist rival refused to back his efforts to form a government. Spain has been without a fully functioning government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls, leaving it in political limbo in a sensitive economic and political period. But even as parties reiterate the crucial need for a stable government after repeat elections in June, none appear ready as yet to overcome their differences and seal a coalition deal, including Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez. "If Mr Sanchez continues to say no, we will go to repeat elections," Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party (PP) came first in June polls and who has therefore been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, told reporters. "A country that holds three elections in a year, or one in which its political leaders are incapable of agreeing, will not see its reputation improve," he said, adding it would be an "absurdity". Spain is currently ruled by a caretaker conservative government with limited room for manoeuvre just as it needs to take urgent steps to reduce its deficit, establish a budget for the coming year and address a growing separatist movement in the Catalonia region. The country's political paralysis started after elections on December 20 failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority, as upstart groupings Ciudadanos and Podemos shook up Spain's long-established two-party system. Fed up with years of crisis-sparked austerity and repeated corruption scandals, millions of Spaniards tasked the two upstarts to revitalise the country. But efforts to forge a coalition were unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result. Rajoy's PP, in power since 2011, won the June 26 vote but fell short of an absolute majority, winning 137 seats out of 350. He has since been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, which he will have to push through a parliamentary vote of confidence. In order to do so, Rajoy will need an absolute majority in the vote. If he fails, a second vote will be held in which he would only need a simple majority. But Sanchez, whose Socialist party came second in June elections and whose 85 seats would give any Rajoy-led government proposal a significant boost in a parliamentary vote refuses to back him. "We are not going to back something we want to change... the left will not back the right," Sanchez told reporters after meeting the acting prime minister. However, he appeared to leave the door open for the possibility that the Socialists would abstain in a vote of confidence, saying that the party's leadership committee would have the ultimate say in whether the grouping changes its posture or not. Several high-ranking members of the Socialist party, including former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, have pushed for an abstention to let a minority government led by Rajoy through, and thus end the political paralysis. And a high-ranking Socialist party source, who refuses to be named, has said an abstention in the second parliamentary vote is the most likely scenario. Rajoy is also due to meet Albert Rivera, the chief of centre-right upstart Ciudadanos, on Wednesday as his search for support continues. Rivera has said his party would be willing to abstain in the vote of confidence, but with just 32 seats, that would not be enough to push Rajoy's government proposal through. (AFP)

Spain PM warns third round of elections possible as deadlock continues

Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it was withdrawing permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land being reclaimed under a $1.4 billion port project after India objected. 
 
Instead, it will grant the state-owned construction company a 99-year lease on the land next to the port in Colombo, under a new agreement. 
 
&quot;India had a big concern about giving freehold land to China near the Colombo harbour,&quot; government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters. &quot;We have amended the agreement. There will be no freehold land but it will be on a 99-year lease.&quot; 
 
The government had put the project on hold pending a review of all the big-ticket agreements signed under the previous administration of Mahinda Rajapakse. The former president relied heavily on Chinese investment to rebuild the country&#39;s infrastructure after the end of the island&#39;s decades-long ethnic war in May 2009, a move which some say alienated India. 
 
The Chinese-funded port was also controversial among environmentalists. Senaratne said the developers had agreed to drop a proposed Formula One track and increase public park space, and environmental safeguards would be put in place. 
 
The project is being funded by China Communications Construction Company and was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014 during a visit to Colombo. 
 
Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a &quot;string of pearls&quot; strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests. 
 
But Senaratne said the government had decided to go ahead with the project under new terms. Colombo would set up an offshore banking centre to compete with Dubai and Singapore, he said. 
 
The reclamation represents the biggest-ever single foreign investment in Sri Lanka. It will add 269 hectares (672 acres) of real estate in the congested capital, which has a population of over 650,000. Once completed, the Chinese will have 108 hectares (266 acres) on a 99-year lease for commercial development. 
 
Earlier, 20 hectares of that was to be on a freehold basis. Under the agreement, the Sri Lankan government will get 62 hectares (153 acres) and the rest will be public parks and access roads. 
 
China, the largest single lender to Sri Lanka, secured contracts to build roads, railways, and ports under Rajapakse, who is under investigation over allegations of corruption during his decade in power. 
 
The administration of President Maithripala Sirisena says the terms negotiated by the previous government were unfavourable. But it has still decided to go ahead with many of the Chinese-funded projects. 
 
(AFP)

Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said Sri Lanka has amended the agreement, it will grant the Chinese company a 99-year lease instead

Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it was withdrawing permission for a Chinese company to buy the freehold to 20 hectares of land being reclaimed under a $1.4 billion port project after India objected. Instead, it will grant the state-owned construction company a 99-year lease on the land next to the port in Colombo, under a new agreement. "India had a big concern about giving freehold land to China near the Colombo harbour," government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters. "We have amended the agreement. There will be no freehold land but it will be on a 99-year lease." The government had put the project on hold pending a review of all the big-ticket agreements signed under the previous administration of Mahinda Rajapakse. The former president relied heavily on Chinese investment to rebuild the country's infrastructure after the end of the island's decades-long ethnic war in May 2009, a move which some say alienated India. The Chinese-funded port was also controversial among environmentalists. Senaratne said the developers had agreed to drop a proposed Formula One track and increase public park space, and environmental safeguards would be put in place. The project is being funded by China Communications Construction Company and was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014 during a visit to Colombo. Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of rival India and secure its own economic interests. But Senaratne said the government had decided to go ahead with the project under new terms. Colombo would set up an offshore banking centre to compete with Dubai and Singapore, he said. The reclamation represents the biggest-ever single foreign investment in Sri Lanka. It will add 269 hectares (672 acres) of real estate in the congested capital, which has a population of over 650,000. Once completed, the Chinese will have 108 hectares (266 acres) on a 99-year lease for commercial development. Earlier, 20 hectares of that was to be on a freehold basis. Under the agreement, the Sri Lankan government will get 62 hectares (153 acres) and the rest will be public parks and access roads. China, the largest single lender to Sri Lanka, secured contracts to build roads, railways, and ports under Rajapakse, who is under investigation over allegations of corruption during his decade in power. The administration of President Maithripala Sirisena says the terms negotiated by the previous government were unfavourable. But it has still decided to go ahead with many of the Chinese-funded projects. (AFP)

Sri Lanka withdraws freehold land offer to China after India's objection

Myanmar&#39;s most heavily-armed ethnic group held &quot;positive&quot; talks Friday with the country&#39;s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. 
 
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. 
 
But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi&#39;s aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar&#39;s borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country&#39;s economy after the end of junta rule. 
 
Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi&#39;s task. 
 
The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. 
 
Friday&#39;s &quot;very positive discussions&quot; between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an &quot;important first step&quot; in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. 
 
Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. 
 
It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar.&nbsp;But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San&#39;s assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. 
 
Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army &quot;support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate&quot;, Zaw Htay added. 
 
Experts say Myanmar&#39;s myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. 
 
(AFP)

The nation's myriad conflicts are entwined with illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated

Myanmar's most heavily-armed ethnic group held "positive" talks Friday with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi's aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar's borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country's economy after the end of junta rule. Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi's task. The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. Friday's "very positive discussions" between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an "important first step" in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar. But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San's assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army "support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate", Zaw Htay added. Experts say Myanmar's myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. (AFP)

Myanmar conducts 'positive' talks with rebel group United Wa State Army

A northern Indian state will soon begin a multi-million dollar search in the Himalayas for a mythical plant believed to hold life-saving properties, a local minister said today. 
 
Uttarakhand will spend 250 million Rupees ($37 million) of state money hunting the herb Sanjeevani Booti, which is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life to the brother of a god. 
 
While many wild plants with medicinal properties grow in the Himalayas, there is scant evidence that the plant ever existed, with sages and modern researchers failing for centuries to find it. 
 
&quot;We have to try and it will never go to waste. If we are determined we will certainly find it,&quot; Surendra Singh Negi, the state&#39;s minister for alternative medicine, told AFP. 
 
The minister said the search will focus on the Dronagiri range of Himalayas near the Chinese border, one mountain of which is mentioned in the epic Ramayana as being the site where the magical herb grows. 
 
&quot;We have set an initial budget of 250 million Rupees ($37 million) for the project,&quot; Negi said. 
 
Scientists will start work in August, the minister said, adding that the central government has refused to fund the project. 
 
Ancient texts say the plant has life-restoring properties, grows in the high mountains of the Himalayas and glows in the dark. 
 
According to Ramayana, the monkey god Hanuman was tasked by the god Rama with fetching the herb after a healer said it would cure his dying brother Laxman. 
 
But Hanuman failed to identity the plant, instead uprooting the entire mountain and carrying it thousands of miles to treat the mortally injured prince during a war with demons in what is now Sri Lanka. 
 
India&#39;s 5,000-year-old medicine system Ayurveda uses herbs to cure ailments and has seen a revival under Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s government. 
 
(AFP)

The herb Sanjeevani Booti is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life, but there's scant evidence it exists

A northern Indian state will soon begin a multi-million dollar search in the Himalayas for a mythical plant believed to hold life-saving properties, a local minister said today. Uttarakhand will spend 250 million Rupees ($37 million) of state money hunting the herb Sanjeevani Booti, which is credited in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana with restoring life to the brother of a god. While many wild plants with medicinal properties grow in the Himalayas, there is scant evidence that the plant ever existed, with sages and modern researchers failing for centuries to find it. "We have to try and it will never go to waste. If we are determined we will certainly find it," Surendra Singh Negi, the state's minister for alternative medicine, told AFP. The minister said the search will focus on the Dronagiri range of Himalayas near the Chinese border, one mountain of which is mentioned in the epic Ramayana as being the site where the magical herb grows. "We have set an initial budget of 250 million Rupees ($37 million) for the project," Negi said. Scientists will start work in August, the minister said, adding that the central government has refused to fund the project. Ancient texts say the plant has life-restoring properties, grows in the high mountains of the Himalayas and glows in the dark. According to Ramayana, the monkey god Hanuman was tasked by the god Rama with fetching the herb after a healer said it would cure his dying brother Laxman. But Hanuman failed to identity the plant, instead uprooting the entire mountain and carrying it thousands of miles to treat the mortally injured prince during a war with demons in what is now Sri Lanka. India's 5,000-year-old medicine system Ayurveda uses herbs to cure ailments and has seen a revival under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. (AFP)

Indian state to spend $37 million hunting mythical 'life-saving' plant

Nepal Parliament today started a three-day discussion on the no-confidence motion filed against embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli after all the three bills related to the annual budget were rejected by majority vote. 
 
Speaking in the 598-member House, Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal &#39;Prachanda&#39; sought the support of the lawmakers for the no-confidence motion. 
 
The no-trust motion was registered by the largest party in the parliament Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-United. 
They have been demanding that Oli should resign to clear the way for formation of a new government. 
 
A total of 281 parliamentarians of 13 parties have supported the motion. The parliament will hold discussions for three days on the motion. 
 
Earlier in the day, the parliament rejected all three budget-related bills by majority vote. 
 
Nepali Congress and Maoist had decided to table the bills before tabling the no-trust motion as per the request of the ruling parties, but they voted against it. 
 
The parliament meeting has been postponed till tomorrow morning. 
 
Oli, who became prime minister last October heading Nepal&#39;s eighth government in the past 10 years, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government last week. 
 
Nepali Congress and the Maoists tabled the no-trust motion against Oli, accusing him of not honouring his past commitments. 
Oli has refused to step down, despite the fact that the coalition government led by him is in minority after the Maoists withdrew their support to the coalition government. 
 
(PTI)

The no-confidence motion was registered by the largest party in the Parliament, the Nepali Congress, seeking support of other lawmakers

Nepal Parliament today started a three-day discussion on the no-confidence motion filed against embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli after all the three bills related to the annual budget were rejected by majority vote. Speaking in the 598-member House, Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' sought the support of the lawmakers for the no-confidence motion. The no-trust motion was registered by the largest party in the parliament Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-United. They have been demanding that Oli should resign to clear the way for formation of a new government. A total of 281 parliamentarians of 13 parties have supported the motion. The parliament will hold discussions for three days on the motion. Earlier in the day, the parliament rejected all three budget-related bills by majority vote. Nepali Congress and Maoist had decided to table the bills before tabling the no-trust motion as per the request of the ruling parties, but they voted against it. The parliament meeting has been postponed till tomorrow morning. Oli, who became prime minister last October heading Nepal's eighth government in the past 10 years, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government last week. Nepali Congress and the Maoists tabled the no-trust motion against Oli, accusing him of not honouring his past commitments. Oli has refused to step down, despite the fact that the coalition government led by him is in minority after the Maoists withdrew their support to the coalition government. (PTI)

Nepal Parliament begins discussion on no-trust motion against Prime Minister Oli

The United Nations Security Council failed on Saturday to condemn the violence and unrest in Turkey, after Egypt objected to a statement that called on all parties to &quot;respect the democratically elected government of Turkey,&quot; diplomats said. 
 
The US-drafted statement, seen by Reuters, also expressed grave concern over the situation in Turkey, urged the parties to show restraint, avoid any violence or bloodshed, and called for an urgent end to the crisis and return to rule of law. 
 
Statements by the 15-member Security Council have to be agreed by consensus. 
 
&quot;We proposed different language that respects democratic and constitutional principles, but the Americans refused to engage,&quot; Egypt&#39;s UN ambassador Amr Aboulatta told Reuters. 
 
?Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is a former general who overthrew elected President Mohamed Mursi, of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013 after mass protests against Mursi. Turkey provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. 
 
Diplomats said Egypt asked for a call for all parties to &quot;respect the democratically elected government of Turkey&quot; to be removed from the draft statement, saying the council is &quot;in no position to qualify, or label that government - or any other government for that matter - as democratically elected or not&quot;. 
 
After the United States and Britain objected to the proposed change to the text, Egypt proposed that the council call on the parties in Turkey to &quot;respect the democratic and constitutional principles and the rule of law,&quot; diplomats said. 
 
Negotiations on the text ended at this point, diplomats said. 
 
The Egyptian foreign ministry said that it was &quot;surprised that its proposed amendment was not taken up, and with the claim that it is obstructing the release of the statement.&quot; 
 
Turkish forces loyal to President Tayyip Erdogan largely crushed an attempted military coup on Saturday after crowds answered his call to take to the streets in support of the government and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks. 
 
(Reuters)

Egyptian diplomats said the UN council is in no position to qualify or label any government as democratically elected or not

The United Nations Security Council failed on Saturday to condemn the violence and unrest in Turkey, after Egypt objected to a statement that called on all parties to "respect the democratically elected government of Turkey," diplomats said. The US-drafted statement, seen by Reuters, also expressed grave concern over the situation in Turkey, urged the parties to show restraint, avoid any violence or bloodshed, and called for an urgent end to the crisis and return to rule of law. Statements by the 15-member Security Council have to be agreed by consensus. "We proposed different language that respects democratic and constitutional principles, but the Americans refused to engage," Egypt's UN ambassador Amr Aboulatta told Reuters. ?Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is a former general who overthrew elected President Mohamed Mursi, of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013 after mass protests against Mursi. Turkey provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Diplomats said Egypt asked for a call for all parties to "respect the democratically elected government of Turkey" to be removed from the draft statement, saying the council is "in no position to qualify, or label that government - or any other government for that matter - as democratically elected or not". After the United States and Britain objected to the proposed change to the text, Egypt proposed that the council call on the parties in Turkey to "respect the democratic and constitutional principles and the rule of law," diplomats said. Negotiations on the text ended at this point, diplomats said. The Egyptian foreign ministry said that it was "surprised that its proposed amendment was not taken up, and with the claim that it is obstructing the release of the statement." Turkish forces loyal to President Tayyip Erdogan largely crushed an attempted military coup on Saturday after crowds answered his call to take to the streets in support of the government and dozens of rebels abandoned their tanks. (Reuters)

Egypt blocks UN call to respect 'democratically elected' government in Turkey

The Indian Government on Thursday morning launched the &#39;Sankat Mochan&#39; operation to evacuate Indian nationals from South Sudan. 
 
India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan&#39;s capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there, an exercise which is being led by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh. 
 
Singh had also supervised the evacuation of nearly 4,000 Indians from conflict-ridden Yemen last year. 
 
An official advisory said that only Indian nationals with valid Indian travel document will be allowed boarding with maximum five kilogram cabin baggage and no check-in pieces. It also said that women and children will be accommodated on priority. 
 
Apart from Singh, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations), will also travel to Juba. 
 
India has been closely monitoring developments in South Sudan, which is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. A task force has been set up for the purpose. 
 
According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of which 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 are outside the capital. 
 
(DNA)

India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan's capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there

The Indian Government on Thursday morning launched the 'Sankat Mochan' operation to evacuate Indian nationals from South Sudan. India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan's capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there, an exercise which is being led by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh. Singh had also supervised the evacuation of nearly 4,000 Indians from conflict-ridden Yemen last year. An official advisory said that only Indian nationals with valid Indian travel document will be allowed boarding with maximum five kilogram cabin baggage and no check-in pieces. It also said that women and children will be accommodated on priority. Apart from Singh, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations), will also travel to Juba. India has been closely monitoring developments in South Sudan, which is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. A task force has been set up for the purpose. According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of which 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 are outside the capital. (DNA)

India launches operation to rescue nationals from South Sudan

The US and South Korea announced today that they have agreed to install a high-tec weapons defence system called the&nbsp;Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) to the Korean peninsula.&nbsp;The US and South Korea began talks on deploying this system in February, after North Korea launched a long-range rocket following a fourth nuclear test in January. North Korea has carried out several missile launches, also.&nbsp; 
 
China&#39;s Foreign Ministry said on Friday the THAAD system would destabilise the security balance in the region without achieving anything to end North Korea&#39;s nuclear program. The deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea would &quot;seriously damage&quot; regional security in northeast Asia, China said Friday, adding it strongly opposed the move. 
 
&quot;China strongly urges the United States and South Korea to stop the deployment process of the THAAD anti-missile system, not take any steps to complicate the regional situation and do nothing to harm China&#39;s strategic security interests,&quot; it said in a statement on its website. 
 
The deployment of the THAAD&nbsp;system announced by the US and South Korea would &quot;seriously damage the strategic security interests of countries in the region including China&quot;,and that&nbsp;the system would not aid the &quot;denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,&quot;&nbsp;Beijings foreign ministry said in a statement posted online. 
 
China is North Koreas largest trading partner and has been its key diplomatic protector for decades. But relations have soured over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear tests and long-range missile launches, with Beijing supporting UN sanctions.&nbsp;Still, analysts say it is concerned over any build up of US power on its doorstep, and values Pyongyang as a strategic bulwark. 
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of &quot;friendly relations&quot; to a visiting North Korean official last month, even after the envoy reportedly told Chinese officials Pyongyang would continue with its internationally condemned nuclear programme. 
 
Russia also warned Friday that the US deployment of an advanced missile defence system in South Korea would have &quot;irreparable consequences&quot;, echoing warnings by China of a threat to regional security. 
 
&quot;This missile defence system tends to undermine stability in the region...We hope that our partners will avoid any actions that could have irreparable consequences,&quot; the Russian foreign ministry said after the US and South Korea announced they would deploy the system to thwart potential attacks from North Korea. 
 
China is positioning itself as the dominant county in the region, claiming that the bulk of the South China Sea falls under its control.&nbsp; 
 
(WION, with inputs from AFP)

Government representatives from Russia and China each strongly denounce the move

The US and South Korea announced today that they have agreed to install a high-tec weapons defence system called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) to the Korean peninsula. The US and South Korea began talks on deploying this system in February, after North Korea launched a long-range rocket following a fourth nuclear test in January. North Korea has carried out several missile launches, also. China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday the THAAD system would destabilise the security balance in the region without achieving anything to end North Korea's nuclear program. The deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea would "seriously damage" regional security in northeast Asia, China said Friday, adding it strongly opposed the move. "China strongly urges the United States and South Korea to stop the deployment process of the THAAD anti-missile system, not take any steps to complicate the regional situation and do nothing to harm China's strategic security interests," it said in a statement on its website. The deployment of the THAAD system announced by the US and South Korea would "seriously damage the strategic security interests of countries in the region including China",and that the system would not aid the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," Beijings foreign ministry said in a statement posted online. China is North Koreas largest trading partner and has been its key diplomatic protector for decades. But relations have soured over Pyongyang's nuclear tests and long-range missile launches, with Beijing supporting UN sanctions. Still, analysts say it is concerned over any build up of US power on its doorstep, and values Pyongyang as a strategic bulwark. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of "friendly relations" to a visiting North Korean official last month, even after the envoy reportedly told Chinese officials Pyongyang would continue with its internationally condemned nuclear programme. Russia also warned Friday that the US deployment of an advanced missile defence system in South Korea would have "irreparable consequences", echoing warnings by China of a threat to regional security. "This missile defence system tends to undermine stability in the region...We hope that our partners will avoid any actions that could have irreparable consequences," the Russian foreign ministry said after the US and South Korea announced they would deploy the system to thwart potential attacks from North Korea. China is positioning itself as the dominant county in the region, claiming that the bulk of the South China Sea falls under its control. (WION, with inputs from AFP)

US and South Korea to launch high-tech anti-missile system

Embattled Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appeared likely to retain power after gaining the support of a key independent on Thursday, although the closeness of the vote signalled more tough political and economic times ahead. 
 
There were signs that the political instability after Saturday&#39;s cliffhanger election was beginning to take its toll on the Australian economy, with Standard and Poor cutting Australia&#39;s credit rating outlook to negative from stable, threatening a downgrade of its coveted triple A status. 
 
Turnbull flew to northern Queensland state to win reluctant support from Bob Katter, a maverick former member of the ruling conservative coalition who is now a potential kingmaker if Turnbull is unable to win the 76 lower house seats needed to form the government. 
 
&quot;Today we are announcing our support ... for a Turnbull government. I do so with no great enthusiasm,&quot; Katter told reporters. &quot;I will maintain my right to change at any point of time in the future.&quot; 
 
Katter&#39;s support gives Turnbull&#39;s coalition a total of 74 seats, according to the latest Australian Broadcasting Corp. projections, as vote counting continues. 
 
Labor is projected to win 66 seats, meaning they would need to win the six seats still being counted and do deals with all the four remaining independents to form government - a scenario considered extremely unlikely by pollsters. 
 
&quot;I remain confident that we will form a government, and we will unite the parliament as far as we are able to,&quot; Turnbull told reporters after meeting Katter. 
 
&quot;We will unite the nation in a common purpose to continue to ensure that we have strong economic growth,&quot; he said. 
 
Turnbull, however, will realistically only scrape through with the slimmest of margins and faces an even more hostile upper house Senate, making it difficult for him to pass planned economic reforms. 
 
&#39;Diminished authority&#39; 
 
That point was rammed home by Labor leader Bill Shorten, who acknowledged the coalition would most likely win, but &quot;with a diminished authority, diminished mandate and a very divided political party&quot;. 
 
&quot;If Mister Turnbull is dragged across the line narrowly, his problems and Australia&#39;s are only just beginning,&quot; Shorten said in Perth. 
 
The Australia dollar fell half a US cent after S&amp;P&#39;s announcement, which cited concerns the coalition government would be hampered in its plans to return to budget surplus as it struggles to form a majority government. 
 
&quot;I think what the Australian people want to be assured of today is that there is a clear plan, should we be able to form government, to maintain the fiscal health of this country and that is what the agencies are saying is necessary,&quot; treasurer Scott Morrison told reporters soon after the S&amp;P announcement. 
 
Turnbull&#39;s gamble in calling an election, ostensibly to clear the upper house Senate of what he saw as obstructive minor parties, backfired badly with a much bigger swing to the centre-left Labor opposition than expected. 
 
It also saw minor parties and independents become even more powerful, making it less likely that Turnbull will be able to push his reformist economic agenda, which includes a A$50 billion ($37.6 billion) corporate tax break over 10 years, through an intransigent upper house. 
 
That places Katter and centrist Nick Xenaphon as potential kingmakers with team members in both houses. Two other lower house independents, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan, have ruled out any deals with the government. 
 
(Reuters)

Bob Katter from Queensland gives a reluctant nod to support Turnbull, warns that he may change his stand anytime in the future

Embattled Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appeared likely to retain power after gaining the support of a key independent on Thursday, although the closeness of the vote signalled more tough political and economic times ahead. There were signs that the political instability after Saturday's cliffhanger election was beginning to take its toll on the Australian economy, with Standard and Poor cutting Australia's credit rating outlook to negative from stable, threatening a downgrade of its coveted triple A status. Turnbull flew to northern Queensland state to win reluctant support from Bob Katter, a maverick former member of the ruling conservative coalition who is now a potential kingmaker if Turnbull is unable to win the 76 lower house seats needed to form the government. "Today we are announcing our support ... for a Turnbull government. I do so with no great enthusiasm," Katter told reporters. "I will maintain my right to change at any point of time in the future." Katter's support gives Turnbull's coalition a total of 74 seats, according to the latest Australian Broadcasting Corp. projections, as vote counting continues. Labor is projected to win 66 seats, meaning they would need to win the six seats still being counted and do deals with all the four remaining independents to form government - a scenario considered extremely unlikely by pollsters. "I remain confident that we will form a government, and we will unite the parliament as far as we are able to," Turnbull told reporters after meeting Katter. "We will unite the nation in a common purpose to continue to ensure that we have strong economic growth," he said. Turnbull, however, will realistically only scrape through with the slimmest of margins and faces an even more hostile upper house Senate, making it difficult for him to pass planned economic reforms. 'Diminished authority' That point was rammed home by Labor leader Bill Shorten, who acknowledged the coalition would most likely win, but "with a diminished authority, diminished mandate and a very divided political party". "If Mister Turnbull is dragged across the line narrowly, his problems and Australia's are only just beginning," Shorten said in Perth. The Australia dollar fell half a US cent after S&P's announcement, which cited concerns the coalition government would be hampered in its plans to return to budget surplus as it struggles to form a majority government. "I think what the Australian people want to be assured of today is that there is a clear plan, should we be able to form government, to maintain the fiscal health of this country and that is what the agencies are saying is necessary," treasurer Scott Morrison told reporters soon after the S&P announcement. Turnbull's gamble in calling an election, ostensibly to clear the upper house Senate of what he saw as obstructive minor parties, backfired badly with a much bigger swing to the centre-left Labor opposition than expected. It also saw minor parties and independents become even more powerful, making it less likely that Turnbull will be able to push his reformist economic agenda, which includes a A$50 billion ($37.6 billion) corporate tax break over 10 years, through an intransigent upper house. That places Katter and centrist Nick Xenaphon as potential kingmakers with team members in both houses. Two other lower house independents, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan, have ruled out any deals with the government. (Reuters)

Australian PM wins key support, edges closer to forming government

A protest by Zimbabwean taxi drivers against a police crackdown turned violent on Monday when residents joined in and hurled rocks at police, who fired teargas to disperse the rioters. 
 
In the last month, Zimbabwe has witnessed spontaneous protests against government corruption, shortages of money and government plans to circulate local bank notes as the southern African nation struggles with a drought and a slowing economy. 
 
Zimbabwean taxi drivers, along with owners of taxi firms, accuse police of seeking to raise money for their operations by imposing hefty fines on their vehicles, which they say impacts on their business. 
 
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told reporters that anti-riot police had deployed in two townships outside Harare and arrested 30 people in connection with the violence. 
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Police brutality in Harare. Door to door tactic has been adopted now <a href="https://t.co/oX2ho8st8a">pic.twitter.com/oX2ho8st8a</a>
&mdash; Itai Pfungwadzapera (@itaipfungwa1987) <a href="https://twitter.com/itaipfungwa1987/status/749952447444025344">July 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script> 
 
Charamba said &quot;all those who are inciting and engaging in violence that such misconduct will be severely dealt with&quot;. 
 
A Reuters witness said taxi operators teamed up with residents in Epworth township, south of central Harare, to attack police with stones. Police fired teargas, beat up protesters and broke down doors at some houses, saying they were looking for organisers of the protest. 
 
In Mabvuku township, to the east of the capital, police fired teargas as taxi operators blocked roads with stones and burning tyres, taxi driver Aaron Mapani said. 
 
Monday&#39;s clashes come days after residents protested in the border town of Beitbridge, 600 kilometres south of the capital Harare, last Friday against restrictions on imports of basic goods from South Africa. 
 
(Reuters)

Police fired teargas, beat up protesters and broke down doors at some houses, saying they were looking for organisers of the protest

A protest by Zimbabwean taxi drivers against a police crackdown turned violent on Monday when residents joined in and hurled rocks at police, who fired teargas to disperse the rioters. In the last month, Zimbabwe has witnessed spontaneous protests against government corruption, shortages of money and government plans to circulate local bank notes as the southern African nation struggles with a drought and a slowing economy. Zimbabwean taxi drivers, along with owners of taxi firms, accuse police of seeking to raise money for their operations by imposing hefty fines on their vehicles, which they say impacts on their business. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told reporters that anti-riot police had deployed in two townships outside Harare and arrested 30 people in connection with the violence. Police brutality in Harare. Door to door tactic has been adopted now pic.twitter.com/oX2ho8st8a — Itai Pfungwadzapera (@itaipfungwa1987) July 4, 2016 Charamba said "all those who are inciting and engaging in violence that such misconduct will be severely dealt with". A Reuters witness said taxi operators teamed up with residents in Epworth township, south of central Harare, to attack police with stones. Police fired teargas, beat up protesters and broke down doors at some houses, saying they were looking for organisers of the protest. In Mabvuku township, to the east of the capital, police fired teargas as taxi operators blocked roads with stones and burning tyres, taxi driver Aaron Mapani said. Monday's clashes come days after residents protested in the border town of Beitbridge, 600 kilometres south of the capital Harare, last Friday against restrictions on imports of basic goods from South Africa. (Reuters)

Zimbabwe protests turn violent as taxi drivers and citizens face off against cops

Pakistan has extended by six months a deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government, a refugee official said on Wednesday, a day before the deadline was set to expire. 
 
Pakistan has the world&#39;s second largest refugee population, with more than 1.5 million registered, and about a million unregistered, refugees from Afghanistan, most of whom fled the Soviet occupation of their country in the 1980s. 
 
The number of Afghans voluntarily returning home has plunged this year as violence worsens in Afghanistan, where the government and its US allies are fighting a stubborn Taliban insurgency. 
 
&quot;The prime minister has approved another six-month extension in the deadline,&quot; Imran Zeb Khan, the chief commissioner for Afghan Refugees, told Reuters in an interview. 
 
&quot;But Pakistan can&#39;t ensure that these refugees will return. That cannot happen without support from Afghanistan and the international community which need to create the right conditions for their repatriation.&quot; 
 
Khan said Pakistan would hold a tripartite meeting with Afghanistan and the United Nations refugee agency on July 19 to plan the way forward. 
 
The comments came soon after officials told Reuters at least 500 Afghan refugees were arrested in a northwestern border province and deported as a security risk. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s Dawn newspaper reported that more than 2,000 refugees were arrested in the last month, and 400 deported to Afghanistan. 
 
There are only 100,000 registered refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the site of the arrests, said provincial information minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t suggest any aggressive campaign against Afghan refugees, but we have been hosting them for the past 35 years and it is time they should go back to their country,&quot; Ghani said. 
 
Unregistered Afghans had become a major security issue for the government, he added. About 6,000 Afghans have chosen to return home from Pakistan in 2016, well below last year&#39;s figure of 58,211, the United Nations&#39; refugee agency has said. 
 
Registration cards allowing a temporary legal stay for Afghan refugees last received a six-month extension after they expired in December 2015. 
 
Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan for decades and contribute significantly to its labour force. 
 
But Afghan refugee camps have become &quot;safe havens for terrorists&quot;, Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz told a Pakistani television channel last week. 
 
Pakistani federal minister for states and frontier regions, Abdul Qadir Baloch, also warned that Pakistan was not willing to host Afghan refugees indefinitely. 
 
Visiting Pakistan last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he had made the case to the government for extending the June 30 deadline. 
 
(Reuters)

Pakistan has the world's second-largest refugee population, with about 2.5 million from Afghanistan

Pakistan has extended by six months a deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government, a refugee official said on Wednesday, a day before the deadline was set to expire. Pakistan has the world's second largest refugee population, with more than 1.5 million registered, and about a million unregistered, refugees from Afghanistan, most of whom fled the Soviet occupation of their country in the 1980s. The number of Afghans voluntarily returning home has plunged this year as violence worsens in Afghanistan, where the government and its US allies are fighting a stubborn Taliban insurgency. "The prime minister has approved another six-month extension in the deadline," Imran Zeb Khan, the chief commissioner for Afghan Refugees, told Reuters in an interview. "But Pakistan can't ensure that these refugees will return. That cannot happen without support from Afghanistan and the international community which need to create the right conditions for their repatriation." Khan said Pakistan would hold a tripartite meeting with Afghanistan and the United Nations refugee agency on July 19 to plan the way forward. The comments came soon after officials told Reuters at least 500 Afghan refugees were arrested in a northwestern border province and deported as a security risk. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported that more than 2,000 refugees were arrested in the last month, and 400 deported to Afghanistan. There are only 100,000 registered refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the site of the arrests, said provincial information minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani. "We don't suggest any aggressive campaign against Afghan refugees, but we have been hosting them for the past 35 years and it is time they should go back to their country," Ghani said. Unregistered Afghans had become a major security issue for the government, he added. About 6,000 Afghans have chosen to return home from Pakistan in 2016, well below last year's figure of 58,211, the United Nations' refugee agency has said. Registration cards allowing a temporary legal stay for Afghan refugees last received a six-month extension after they expired in December 2015. Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan for decades and contribute significantly to its labour force. But Afghan refugee camps have become "safe havens for terrorists", Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz told a Pakistani television channel last week. Pakistani federal minister for states and frontier regions, Abdul Qadir Baloch, also warned that Pakistan was not willing to host Afghan refugees indefinitely. Visiting Pakistan last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he had made the case to the government for extending the June 30 deadline. (Reuters)

Pakistan extends deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government

Hungary&#39;s government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. 
 
The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. 
 
Varga said Britain&#39;s exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU&#39;s budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. 
 
But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain&#39;s negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary&#39;s budget this year or next. 
 
He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain&#39;s example in leaving the EU. 
 
&quot;There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea,&quot; Varga told the paper. 
 
He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday&#39;s sharp falls. 
 
(Reuters)

Budapest has no plan to follow London's example in leaving the EU, said economy minister Mihaly Varga

Hungary's government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. Varga said Britain's exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU's budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain's negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary's budget this year or next. He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain's example in leaving the EU. "There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea," Varga told the paper. He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday's sharp falls. (Reuters)

Hungary prepares incentives to lure firms leaving Britain after Brexit vote

Heavy fighting between Islamic State (IS) militants and government security forces has claimed dozens of lives in eastern Afghanistan, officials said today. 
 
In recent months insurgents claiming allegiance to Islamic State had largely appeared to be bottled up in a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan under threat of US air strikes. 
 
The latest attacks indicate the group remains a potent threat to a government already battling an insurgency dominated by the rival Taliban. 
 
At least a dozen Afghan security forces and civilians had been killed, with another 18 wounded, Nangarhar province governor Saleem Khan Kunduzi said in a statement. 
 
Local officials claimed more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days, even though exact figures varied and could not be independently verified. 
 
&quot;There is no doubt that Daesh (IS) do not respect anyone,&quot; Kunduzi said, using a common term for Islamic State. &quot;They kill people, regardless of whether they&#39;re a child or a woman. They burn down madrasas, mosques and schools.&quot; 
 
As many as 25 homes had been burned down in Kowt district, and five civilians were reported kidnapped, Nangarhar officials said. 
 
Hundreds of police and soldiers are engaged in the area with reinforcements on the way, provincial police chief Zarawar Zahid said. 
 
At a small event today in Kabul, the head of Afghanistan&#39;s civil society federation, Sediq Ansari, blamed local leaders for being negligent in the face of Islamic State threats and called on them to be suspended. 
 
&quot;They should be accountable for every drop of blood that has been shed in Nangarhar so it becomes a lesson to other officials,&quot; he told gathered reporters. 
 
Militants linked to Islamic State have not made as much progress in Afghanistan as in Syria and Iraq, where the group seized major cities and wide swaths of territory and attracted thousands of recruits. 
 
In Afghanistan, the group is thought to consist mostly of disaffected members of other insurgent movements, including the Taliban, who have often battled Islamic State for control of areas in Nangarhar. 
 
In January, US President Barack Obama gave US forces in Afghanistan more freedom to attack Islamic State targets, leading to a spike in air strikes and other operations, especially in Nangarhar. 
 
No coalition forces have been involved in the latest fighting, spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said. 
 
(Reuters)

According to local officials, more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days

Heavy fighting between Islamic State (IS) militants and government security forces has claimed dozens of lives in eastern Afghanistan, officials said today. In recent months insurgents claiming allegiance to Islamic State had largely appeared to be bottled up in a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan under threat of US air strikes. The latest attacks indicate the group remains a potent threat to a government already battling an insurgency dominated by the rival Taliban. At least a dozen Afghan security forces and civilians had been killed, with another 18 wounded, Nangarhar province governor Saleem Khan Kunduzi said in a statement. Local officials claimed more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days, even though exact figures varied and could not be independently verified. "There is no doubt that Daesh (IS) do not respect anyone," Kunduzi said, using a common term for Islamic State. "They kill people, regardless of whether they're a child or a woman. They burn down madrasas, mosques and schools." As many as 25 homes had been burned down in Kowt district, and five civilians were reported kidnapped, Nangarhar officials said. Hundreds of police and soldiers are engaged in the area with reinforcements on the way, provincial police chief Zarawar Zahid said. At a small event today in Kabul, the head of Afghanistan's civil society federation, Sediq Ansari, blamed local leaders for being negligent in the face of Islamic State threats and called on them to be suspended. "They should be accountable for every drop of blood that has been shed in Nangarhar so it becomes a lesson to other officials," he told gathered reporters. Militants linked to Islamic State have not made as much progress in Afghanistan as in Syria and Iraq, where the group seized major cities and wide swaths of territory and attracted thousands of recruits. In Afghanistan, the group is thought to consist mostly of disaffected members of other insurgent movements, including the Taliban, who have often battled Islamic State for control of areas in Nangarhar. In January, US President Barack Obama gave US forces in Afghanistan more freedom to attack Islamic State targets, leading to a spike in air strikes and other operations, especially in Nangarhar. No coalition forces have been involved in the latest fighting, spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said. (Reuters)

Islamic State militants launch new attacks in eastern Afghanistan

The European Union needs a new roadmap that should be devised in consultation with voters and then put to a referendum, France&#39;s Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said today in comments that may further stir tensions with the ruling Socialist Party. 
 
Macron&#39;s talk of a European-wide referendum goes beyond comments made by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who both said the EU needed to reinvent itself after Britons voted to leave the bloc but made no reference to a popular vote.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We would first build this new project with European peoples and then submit this new roadmap, this new project, to a referendum,&quot; he said ahead of a debate on the fallout from the British referendum. 
 
Macron said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called &quot;democratic conventions&quot;. 
 
&quot;It must be done in the right framework,&quot; the minister added. 
 
Macron, a former investment banker, is one of the embattled Socialist government`s most popular ministers among the public. But his launch last month of his own &quot;En Marche&quot; party a year ahead of a presidential election has fueled speculation that he could be eying the Elysee palace as the ratings of Hollande stay rock-bottom. He has said he would not run in the election. 
 
Macron said a knee-jerk referendum must be avoided. 
 
&quot;The idea would not be to have 27 separate referendums,&quot; Macron said during the debate. &quot;We&#39;ve never had the courage to organise a true European referendum in its real sense. This next project must give it that strength.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
In 2005, a proposed EU constitution was blocked by a referendum in France, due mostly to public opposition to an enlarged, free-marketeering Europe. Dutch voters also rejected the constitution in a separate referendum. 
 
(Reuters)

France's Economy Minister said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called 'democratic convention'

The European Union needs a new roadmap that should be devised in consultation with voters and then put to a referendum, France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said today in comments that may further stir tensions with the ruling Socialist Party. Macron's talk of a European-wide referendum goes beyond comments made by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who both said the EU needed to reinvent itself after Britons voted to leave the bloc but made no reference to a popular vote. "We would first build this new project with European peoples and then submit this new roadmap, this new project, to a referendum," he said ahead of a debate on the fallout from the British referendum. Macron said voters should be consulted through a series of debates that he called "democratic conventions". "It must be done in the right framework," the minister added. Macron, a former investment banker, is one of the embattled Socialist government`s most popular ministers among the public. But his launch last month of his own "En Marche" party a year ahead of a presidential election has fueled speculation that he could be eying the Elysee palace as the ratings of Hollande stay rock-bottom. He has said he would not run in the election. Macron said a knee-jerk referendum must be avoided. "The idea would not be to have 27 separate referendums," Macron said during the debate. "We've never had the courage to organise a true European referendum in its real sense. This next project must give it that strength." In 2005, a proposed EU constitution was blocked by a referendum in France, due mostly to public opposition to an enlarged, free-marketeering Europe. Dutch voters also rejected the constitution in a separate referendum. (Reuters)

France's Macron wants new European project, and EU-wide referendum

The head of Malaysia&#39;s anti-graft body will step down on August 1, the agency said on Thursday, more than two years before the scheduled end of a term that included an investigation of Prime Minister Najib Razak. 
 
The revelations of the investigation, first reported by the Wall Street Journal last year, have shaken investors in Southeast Asia&#39;s third-biggest economy and dented confidence in Najib&#39;s ruling coalition. 
 
Abu Kassim Mohamed, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), asked for his contract to be terminated earlier than expected, the agency said in a statement. 
 
&quot;There was no pressure from any parties towards the decision made by Abu Kassim to shorten his contract,&quot; it said, dismissing speculation in domestic media that pressure from the Prime Minister&#39;s office might have prompted the resignation. 
 
The Prime Minister&#39;s office did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters seeking comment. 
 
Under Abu Kassim, who took on his role in the beginning of 2010, the anti-graft body began investigations into allegations of graft and financial mismanagement at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the transfer of 2.6 billion Ringgit ($647.09 million) to Najib&#39;s bank accounts. 
 
Malaysia&#39;s attorney-general cleared Najib of any criminal offences or corruption in January. Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said he did not take any money for personal gain. 
 
Abu Kassim&#39;s contract was to have run until December 4, 2018, the anti-graft body said, adding that the request to cut short his tenure followed an offer to be a visiting expert at the International Anti-Corruption Academy in Austria. 
 
&quot;The request was made after I got the opportunity to improve Malaysia and MACC&#39;s name and international standing,&quot; Abu Kassim told reporters, adding that he will stay in the civil service until mandatory retirement in 2020. 
 
A second vacancy is coming up as his deputy, Shukri Abdull, will retire on October 3, Abu Kassim added, in a video of the news conference released by the agency. 
 
Najib was widely criticised last year after the government replaced Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who had led investigations into 1MDB, with Mohamed Apandi Ali. It cited Patail&#39;s failing health for the change ahead of his retirement. 
 
($1 = 4.0180 ringgit) 
 
(Reuters)

Abu Kassim Mohamed, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, will vacate the post on August 1

The head of Malaysia's anti-graft body will step down on August 1, the agency said on Thursday, more than two years before the scheduled end of a term that included an investigation of Prime Minister Najib Razak. The revelations of the investigation, first reported by the Wall Street Journal last year, have shaken investors in Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy and dented confidence in Najib's ruling coalition. Abu Kassim Mohamed, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), asked for his contract to be terminated earlier than expected, the agency said in a statement. "There was no pressure from any parties towards the decision made by Abu Kassim to shorten his contract," it said, dismissing speculation in domestic media that pressure from the Prime Minister's office might have prompted the resignation. The Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters seeking comment. Under Abu Kassim, who took on his role in the beginning of 2010, the anti-graft body began investigations into allegations of graft and financial mismanagement at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the transfer of 2.6 billion Ringgit ($647.09 million) to Najib's bank accounts. Malaysia's attorney-general cleared Najib of any criminal offences or corruption in January. Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said he did not take any money for personal gain. Abu Kassim's contract was to have run until December 4, 2018, the anti-graft body said, adding that the request to cut short his tenure followed an offer to be a visiting expert at the International Anti-Corruption Academy in Austria. "The request was made after I got the opportunity to improve Malaysia and MACC's name and international standing," Abu Kassim told reporters, adding that he will stay in the civil service until mandatory retirement in 2020. A second vacancy is coming up as his deputy, Shukri Abdull, will retire on October 3, Abu Kassim added, in a video of the news conference released by the agency. Najib was widely criticised last year after the government replaced Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who had led investigations into 1MDB, with Mohamed Apandi Ali. It cited Patail's failing health for the change ahead of his retirement. ($1 = 4.0180 ringgit) (Reuters)

Malaysia's anti-graft panel chief to step down

The President of Mexico&#39;s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, announced his resignation on Monday, two weeks after the party of President Enrique Pena Nieto suffered a humiliating defeat in regional elections. 
 
Manlio Fabio Beltrones, a former governor and veteran federal lawmaker, announced his decision to step down after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote. It previously held nine of them. 
 
The results were far worse for the centrist party than most polls had forecast. 
 
The PRI&#39;s losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico&#39;s top tourist destination Cancun. All three states have been run by the PRI for over eight decades. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s time for a necessary pause,&quot; Beltrones told a news conference at the PRI&#39;s Mexico City headquarters. 
 
&quot;This is a responsible decision that opens space for an internal debate and allows our party to freely decide the best path forward,&quot; he said. 
 
Beltrones, 63, is still seen as a possible presidential contender for the PRI in 2018. Pena Nieto is not allowed by law to seek a second six-year term. 
 
In a poll published Monday by daily newspaper El Financiero, Beltrones was tied for second with 10 per cent among PRI voters, trailing Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who had 32 per cent support. 
(Reuters)

Manlio Fabio Beltrones announced his decision after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote

The President of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, announced his resignation on Monday, two weeks after the party of President Enrique Pena Nieto suffered a humiliating defeat in regional elections. Manlio Fabio Beltrones, a former governor and veteran federal lawmaker, announced his decision to step down after the PRI won only five of the dozen governors races up for grabs in the June 5 vote. It previously held nine of them. The results were far worse for the centrist party than most polls had forecast. The PRI's losses included two oil-rich strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz and neighboring Tamaulipas, both of which have been plagued by gang violence for years, as well as Quintana Roo, home to Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun. All three states have been run by the PRI for over eight decades. "It's time for a necessary pause," Beltrones told a news conference at the PRI's Mexico City headquarters. "This is a responsible decision that opens space for an internal debate and allows our party to freely decide the best path forward," he said. Beltrones, 63, is still seen as a possible presidential contender for the PRI in 2018. Pena Nieto is not allowed by law to seek a second six-year term. In a poll published Monday by daily newspaper El Financiero, Beltrones was tied for second with 10 per cent among PRI voters, trailing Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, who had 32 per cent support. (Reuters)

Head of Mexico's ruling party resigns after electoral drubbing

Sri Lankan migrants who were stranded on a boat off Indonesia were allowed to come ashore on Saturday, easing a tense stand-off with local authorities that drew international condemnation. 
 
The 44 migrants, who include many women and children, had been stuck on a boat off Aceh province for a week as authorities in the western province refused to allow them to disembark. 
 
But Indonesian officials gave way on Saturday&nbsp;and allowed the migrants -- who were adrift after their Indian-flagged vessel broke down en route to Australia -- to take refuge in tents set up along the beach. 
 
Police had begun taking photographs of those brought ashore in a bid to establish identities, an AFP journalist at the scene said. 
 
Authorities had previously said the boat would be towed out to international waters to continue on its journey after repairs were completed and the weather improved. 
 
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla had ordered Aceh officials to allow the migrants to disembark the vessel, which washed up by a beach in the town of Lhoknga. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re happy to see that is finally being implemented,&quot; said Lilianne Fan, international director of Aceh NGO the Geutanyoe Foundation, whose team on the ground witnessed the disembarkation. 
 
&quot;At this point the most urgent thing from our point of view is that immediate access is given to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees),&quot; Fan added. 
 
The week-long impasse boiled over&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;when police fired a warning shot to disperse a crowd that had swarmed around the vessel. 
 
Amnesty International accused local authorities of employing &quot;crude intimidation tactics&quot; against the migrants, and called for UN refugee teams in Aceh to be granted immediate access to the group. 
 
&quot;The immigration office and security forces in Aceh are flouting the authority of their own Vice President and not letting the UNHCR do its job,&quot; Josef Benedict of Amnesty International said in a statement. 
 
Hundreds of Myanmar Rohingya came ashore in Aceh last year during a regional boat people crisis and were warmly welcomed by residents of the staunchly Islamic province, who felt sympathy for their plight as a persecuted Muslim minority. 
(AFP)

International condemnation was piled on local authorities, who for a week kept many women and children adrift

Sri Lankan migrants who were stranded on a boat off Indonesia were allowed to come ashore on Saturday, easing a tense stand-off with local authorities that drew international condemnation. The 44 migrants, who include many women and children, had been stuck on a boat off Aceh province for a week as authorities in the western province refused to allow them to disembark. But Indonesian officials gave way on Saturday and allowed the migrants -- who were adrift after their Indian-flagged vessel broke down en route to Australia -- to take refuge in tents set up along the beach. Police had begun taking photographs of those brought ashore in a bid to establish identities, an AFP journalist at the scene said. Authorities had previously said the boat would be towed out to international waters to continue on its journey after repairs were completed and the weather improved. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla had ordered Aceh officials to allow the migrants to disembark the vessel, which washed up by a beach in the town of Lhoknga. "We're happy to see that is finally being implemented," said Lilianne Fan, international director of Aceh NGO the Geutanyoe Foundation, whose team on the ground witnessed the disembarkation. "At this point the most urgent thing from our point of view is that immediate access is given to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)," Fan added. The week-long impasse boiled over Thursday when police fired a warning shot to disperse a crowd that had swarmed around the vessel. Amnesty International accused local authorities of employing "crude intimidation tactics" against the migrants, and called for UN refugee teams in Aceh to be granted immediate access to the group. "The immigration office and security forces in Aceh are flouting the authority of their own Vice President and not letting the UNHCR do its job," Josef Benedict of Amnesty International said in a statement. Hundreds of Myanmar Rohingya came ashore in Aceh last year during a regional boat people crisis and were warmly welcomed by residents of the staunchly Islamic province, who felt sympathy for their plight as a persecuted Muslim minority. (AFP)

Migrants in Indonesia stranded for days on boat finally brought ashore

Brazil&#39;s interim President Michel Temer dismissed graft allegations against him as dishonest and reckless, pledging in a national address on Thursday that his government would not be distracted from fiscal reforms aimed at reviving the economy. 
 
Temer said it was &quot;irresponsible, ridiculous, mendacious and criminal&quot; to suggest, as former Petrobras executive Sergio Machado did in plea bargain testimony, that he had sought campaign funds for his party from a graft scheme at the state-run oil company. 
 
The testimony, made public by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, was the first direct link between Temer and the sweeping corruption probe that has thrown Brazil&#39;s politics into chaos and deepened its worst recession in decades. 
 
&quot;I say it again, when an idea as flippant as this comes out, it embarrasses or can embarrass the government&#39;s activity. But I want to say here, to register, loud and clear, nothing will embarrass our intentions, our mission, our task during the period in which I am in front of the presidency of the republic, with an extraordinary economic team, with a foreign affairs team which is equally as extraordinary, and a very adequate ministry. Nothing will impede us from continuing to work for the good of Brazil and the Brazilian people,&quot; said Temer in Brasilia on Thursday. 
 
The highly charged plea bargain implicating Temer and two dozen other elected officials, many of them senior members of his ruling coalition, stole the thunder from a landmark fiscal reform revealed the same day. 
 
Machado&#39;s plea deal included allegations that Temer had sought campaign funds for his party&#39;s 2012 Sao Paulo mayoral candidate from the graft scheme at Petrobras, the biggest ever uncovered in Brazil. 
 
The accusations provide more fodder for suspended President Dilma Rousseff and her allies, who accuse Temer and his party of&nbsp;&nbsp;mounting the impeachment process against her in order to distract from their own roles in the corruption scandal. Rousseff faces a trial in the Senate on unrelated charges of breaking budget rules. 
 
(Reuters)

The testimony by Petrobras executive Sergio Machado has thrown Brazil's politics into chaos and deepened its worst recession in decades

Brazil's interim President Michel Temer dismissed graft allegations against him as dishonest and reckless, pledging in a national address on Thursday that his government would not be distracted from fiscal reforms aimed at reviving the economy. Temer said it was "irresponsible, ridiculous, mendacious and criminal" to suggest, as former Petrobras executive Sergio Machado did in plea bargain testimony, that he had sought campaign funds for his party from a graft scheme at the state-run oil company. The testimony, made public by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, was the first direct link between Temer and the sweeping corruption probe that has thrown Brazil's politics into chaos and deepened its worst recession in decades. "I say it again, when an idea as flippant as this comes out, it embarrasses or can embarrass the government's activity. But I want to say here, to register, loud and clear, nothing will embarrass our intentions, our mission, our task during the period in which I am in front of the presidency of the republic, with an extraordinary economic team, with a foreign affairs team which is equally as extraordinary, and a very adequate ministry. Nothing will impede us from continuing to work for the good of Brazil and the Brazilian people," said Temer in Brasilia on Thursday. The highly charged plea bargain implicating Temer and two dozen other elected officials, many of them senior members of his ruling coalition, stole the thunder from a landmark fiscal reform revealed the same day. Machado's plea deal included allegations that Temer had sought campaign funds for his party's 2012 Sao Paulo mayoral candidate from the graft scheme at Petrobras, the biggest ever uncovered in Brazil. The accusations provide more fodder for suspended President Dilma Rousseff and her allies, who accuse Temer and his party of mounting the impeachment process against her in order to distract from their own roles in the corruption scandal. Rousseff faces a trial in the Senate on unrelated charges of breaking budget rules. (Reuters)

Brazil's Temer denies alleged link to Petrobras scandal

Yang&nbsp;Jianli&nbsp;is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based&nbsp;Initiatives for China.&nbsp;Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4.&nbsp;Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre.&nbsp;Yang tells&nbsp;Ramesh Ramachandran&nbsp;that a repeat of 1989&nbsp;is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government&#39;s policies grow.&nbsp;Edited excerpts from an interview:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos))&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your take on contemporary India&ndash;China relations? Does India&#39;s China policy satisfy you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I can&#39;t say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China&nbsp;and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a&nbsp;neighbour&nbsp;of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your position on Tibet?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* First, respect for the Tibetans&#39; right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Second, we should be united to change China.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people&#39;s movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You&nbsp;participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders&#39; minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don&#39;t think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever.&nbsp;So&nbsp;(a repeat of)&nbsp;1989 is very possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students&#39; movement broke out in the spring of 1989.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;

How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<h5>?Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible.</h5>
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How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;general dissatisfaction with the government&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;viable democratic opposition&nbsp;which is not yet there&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others),&nbsp;and&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989,&nbsp;but the international community did not&nbsp;recognise&nbsp;or intervene or give support to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights.&nbsp;Compartmentalisation&nbsp;of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In April&nbsp;you&nbsp;organised&nbsp;the&nbsp;InterEthnic&nbsp;InterFaith&nbsp;Leadership Conference at&nbsp;McLeodganj,&nbsp;India &ndash; the home of the Dalai Lama&nbsp;--&nbsp;to which members of China&#39;s ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants&nbsp;whom China sees as separatists&nbsp;were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure.&nbsp;How do you view India&#39;s refusal or cancellation of visas to people like&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress?&nbsp;

I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can&#39;t overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

China calls&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa a terrorist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dolkun&nbsp;Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable,&nbsp;but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don&#39;t accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

1989 may repeat if disenchantment with government policies grows in China, feels?Yang Jianli, president of Initiatives for China. Yang was a part of the pro-democracy protests and now lives in the US. He spoke to Ramesh Ramachandran.

Yang Jianli is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based Initiatives for China. Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4. Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Yang tells Ramesh Ramachandran that a repeat of 1989 is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government's policies grow. Edited excerpts from an interview: ((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos)) What is your take on contemporary India–China relations? Does India's China policy satisfy you? I can't say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a neighbour of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas. What is your position on Tibet? Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet: * First, respect for the Tibetans' right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves. * Second, we should be united to change China. * Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence. The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people's movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable? It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders' minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don't think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever. So (a repeat of) 1989 is very possible. Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day? I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students' movement broke out in the spring of 1989. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China? The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure. ?Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible. How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China? A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China: * A general dissatisfaction with the government * A viable democratic opposition which is not yet there * A power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others), and * International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989, but the international community did not recognise or intervene or give support to it. How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President? Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights. Compartmentalisation of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach. In April you organised the InterEthnic InterFaith Leadership Conference at McLeodganj, India – the home of the Dalai Lama -- to which members of China's ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants whom China sees as separatists were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure. How do you view India's refusal or cancellation of visas to people like Dolkun Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress? I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can't overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India. China calls Dolkun Isa a terrorist. Dolkun Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable, but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don't accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.

Tiananmen Square-like protests may repeat if things don?t change, says Chinese dissident Yang Jianli

Jordanian King Abdullah swore in a new government led by a business-friendly politician on Wednesday, and charged him with preparing for parliamentary elections by September and&nbsp;pushing&nbsp;legislation to spur sluggish growth.

Hani Mulki, 64, who has held a string of senior diplomatic and ministerial posts, is a former chief commissioner of Jordan&#39;s economic zone in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

He was appointed by the king on Sunday to replace Abdullah Ensour shortly after the monarch dissolved parliament as it neared the end of its four-year term. Elections must be held within four months under the constitution.

Official sources said the government is expected to maintain traditional support for U.S. policies in the region and continue with IMF-guided reforms.

They say the monarch chose Mulki to help spur investment, especially from main Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in investing in the debt-laden kingdom.

Jordan&#39;s finances have been hit by a drop in Gulf aid which traditionally tops up its coffers and worsened investor confidence hit by regional uncertainty. The economy has also been strained by a flood of refugees from the five-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The new government is expected to maintain traditional support for US policies in the region and continue IMF-guided reforms.

Jordanian King Abdullah swore in a new government led by a business-friendly politician on Wednesday, and charged him with preparing for parliamentary elections by September and pushing legislation to spur sluggish growth. Hani Mulki, 64, who has held a string of senior diplomatic and ministerial posts, is a former chief commissioner of Jordan's economic zone in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba. He was appointed by the king on Sunday to replace Abdullah Ensour shortly after the monarch dissolved parliament as it neared the end of its four-year term. Elections must be held within four months under the constitution. Official sources said the government is expected to maintain traditional support for U.S. policies in the region and continue with IMF-guided reforms. They say the monarch chose Mulki to help spur investment, especially from main Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in investing in the debt-laden kingdom. Jordan's finances have been hit by a drop in Gulf aid which traditionally tops up its coffers and worsened investor confidence hit by regional uncertainty. The economy has also been strained by a flood of refugees from the five-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria.

Jordan king swears in new government to prepare for elections

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